4,000 pills seized on their way to Galway Rag Week

by Lucy Mangan

Four thousand ecstasy pills and herbal cannabis were seized in Galway, all of which were suspected to be destined for the unofficial Galway ‘rag week.’

Two men have been arrested in Galway in connection with the drugs and are currently detained at Galway Garda Station. The drugs have an estimated combined street value of €50,000.

The unofficial ‘rag week’ festivities began last Monday, with the relatively new addition of Mayo Monday, followed by the now famous Donegal Tuesday. Hundreds of students lined the streets outside the Hole in the Wall pub on Eyre Street in the rain at 9am to secure a place inside.

Both the NUI Galway and GMIT Student Unions have distanced themselves from the week long festivities in the city in the past and will continue to do so in the future, with a GMIT representative stating, “Where evidence and allegations of anti-social behaviour regarding GMIT students are presented to the Institute, those alleged of being involved are dealt with through a Disciplinary Committee.”

A Garda presence has also been felt strongly by students all over the city, with raids being conducted on student houses in the area surrounding the colleges. Gardaí have also added “additional patrols in place for RAG Week.”

Last year during the unofficial week, 43 public incidents were attributed to the event, with ten of those occurring on ‘Donegal Tuesday.’

Students from outside Galway also travelled down, with many noticing a lot of drug use during the week. “I was in four different house parties after the nightclubs closed, between 2-7am and in each one there were a lot of people on drugs and each one was as bad as the other. “I seemed almost out of place and was offered drugs on numerous occasions,” said a student who travelled from DCU.